Cancel Arizona's GOP presidential primary, Democratic lawmaker says

An Arizona state senator wants Gov. Jan Brewer to cancel the state's presidential-preference election, saying elected officials should instead spend the money on education and job creation.

Sen. Steve Gallardo, D-Phoenix, sent the letter to the Republican governor Friday. His request comes days after the Arizona Democratic Party said it will not hold a primary and instead will pick its nominee and select convention delegates during party-funded caucuses held on March 31.

There is little suspense surrounding the Democrats' expected renomination of President Barack Obama.

But the Republican nominee is still up in the air. The Arizona Secretary of State's Office begins accepting nominations from candidates who wish to appear on the ballot in less than two weeks.

The state will hold its primary on Feb. 28.

In his letter, Gallardo notes the Arizona Legislature set aside $3.4 million to pay for the election.

"(This) costs taxpayers millions of dollars for what is really a political-party function," he said.

Matt Roberts, a spokesman for the Secretary of State's Office, said there is still time to cancel the election at a potentially significant savings because the state typically reimburses the counties for their costs. The counties won't start incurring major expenses for ballot printing until the nomination-filing period closes on Jan. 9.

"If there wasn't an election, those dollars wouldn't be spent," Roberts said.

"I think it's quite big of him (Gallardo) to suggest that we follow in the footsteps of the Arizona Democratic Party in a year in which they don't have a contest," Brewer spokesman Matthew Benson said.

He said Brewer believes holding a presidential-preference election is worth the cost and the investment.

"It gives every registered member of the party a say in who their nominee is going to be," Benson said.

"The governor believes this should be a process with as broad participation as possible."

There are about 3.1 million registered voters in Arizona. About 1.1 million, or 35.5 percent, are Republican.